Chapter 36: Season of Harvest

“Your constant pushing of opinions… it feels like you knew the real-name financial system would be implemented this year. Am I wrong?”

I met Grandfather’s gaze steadily, my expression calm.

“Anyone could have guessed it. It was clearly stated in the campaign promises. But everyone was so convinced it wouldn’t happen that they failed to see it coming. That’s what set me apart.”

Grandfather stared at me for a while, seemingly at a loss for words.

Then, suddenly, he burst into loud laughter.

“Hahaha! Interesting, very interesting. The difference between us, you say? You saw what I couldn’t?”

I knew it would work.

I smiled casually.

“Not just you, Grandfather. All the chaebol and those in power thought the same way. The President, believing this, resorted to the extreme measure of ’emergency orders’ – something not used since the 3rd Republic – to implement it suddenly.”

Grandfather nodded in agreement, a satisfied expression on his face.

“You’re right, Mu-hyeok. We might have known but chose to ignore it. Still, I never expected it to happen this quickly.”

“I didn’t expect it to be this fast either.”

“Hah, no need for false modesty. Thanks to you constantly telling me, I managed to clear most of the anonymous accounts. Otherwise, I would have lost a fortune…”

Grandfather trailed off, lost in thought for a while.

Meanwhile, I looked around his study, deep in my own thoughts.

A few specks of dust floated under the slightly dim brown desk lamp.

‘He’s probably thinking about moving assets overseas again. It took too long to recover them last time…’

As I was pondering for a good solution, Grandfather spoke up.

“Mu-hyeok.”

“Yes?”

“I think I’ve given you enough money. Now, I’ll transfer all my stocks to you.”

“What?”

“I was planning to wait and watch a bit more before handing them over, but I think you’ll make good use of them. Sell them for cash or keep holding them, it’s up to you.”

These were stocks he hadn’t passed on to me until his death in my previous life.

Grandfather held shares in most of Korea’s major companies, including many at the top of circular shareholding structures.

This was an asset that couldn’t be compared to mere money.

“This will be the last gift I give you while I’m alive. Do you understand what I mean?”

“Yes, thank you.”

I bowed my head, expressing sincere gratitude.

Grandfather looked at me with a pleased expression and said,

“What do you think will happen from tomorrow?”

“Probably… extreme chaos. Banks will be crowded with people trying to withdraw cash, from large corporations to small businesses and ordinary citizens. There might even be a shortage of funds for banks to pay out.”

Grandfather nodded at my words.

“The stock market will crash too. But… I think the chaos won’t last long. In a situation where most citizens conduct all financial transactions under their own names, the confusion will likely be resolved quickly, and the stock market will probably boom again.”

“Oh…”

“In the end, the main issues will be the stocks and slush funds managed under borrowed names by the chaebol, and the funds of private moneylenders. This will lead to a situation where they try to move their slush funds overseas.”

A shadow fell across Grandfather’s face.

“I think the outflow of funds overseas is inevitable. But the real-name financial system is necessary. It’s bad news for you and me, but…”

I continued my long conversation with Grandfather after that.

* * *

“What’s the meaning of this?”

The President’s address was being broadcast on TV.

The atmosphere in the chairman’s office of Il-seong Group was heavy..

The cold gaze of Seo Yong-geon, the head of Il-seong Group, was fixed on his cchief secretary, Lee Seok-min.

Gulp.

Secretary Lee swallowed hard, keeping his head bowed without answering.

“Answer me. Didn’t you say there was no way the real-name financial system would be implemented?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t just say you’re sorry. What’s our plan? Why didn’t our people in the Blue House give us a heads up?”

“There was no contact.”

Seo Yong-geon’s face contorted as he threw the document he was holding onto the desk.

“Is this all you can do? Are you getting old too? If so, just say it anytime.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Sigh… What about the slush funds?”

Lee Seok-min hesitated before answering.

“…About 300 billion won seems to be tied up.”

“Huh, 300 billion?”

“Yes… There’s no way to recover the accounts under non-existent people. We might be able to retrieve the accounts under employees or their family members.”

Seo Yong-geon rubbed his forehead as if he had a headache.

“Sigh… For now, retrieve whatever you can and bring it. We’ll think about the rest slowly.”

“Understood.”

Meanwhile, Chairman Song of Daehyeon Group was also watching the President’s announcement about the real-name financial system at his mansion.

“Hah… That boy was right…”

Chairman Song muttered with a dejected feeling.

“Without ties to the Blue House, we couldn’t have known about this in advance… It’s my karma, my karma. Well, what are the kids up to?”

“I’ll contact them.”

“No, leave them be for now. They must be in chaos, I shouldn’t add to their headache. They’ll manage somehow.”

“Yes.”

“Contact Chairman Cheon and ask him to call Kim Mu-hyeok tomorrow. I have soething to discuss with that boy.”

The secretary bowed and left the room.

“Hah… Maybe I’m getting old too… I’ve become stubborn, stubborn…”

* * *

Since the announcement was made after banks closed for the evening, from early morning, banks were crowded with people trying to withdraw cash.

Of course, before the banks opened, large corporations and major private moneylenders had already withdrawn all their money.

And… when the banks opened slightly later than scheduled, they were so overwhelmed with inquiries that they could barely function.

As soon as the stock market opened, over 1,000 stocks hit their lower limit.

South Korea was literally shaking.

‘It’s going as expected.’

Stepping back from the center of this chaos, I headed to Chairman Song’s mansion in Jongno to meet him.

Soon after arriving at Chairman Song’s house, I was guided to his study by a secretary waiting at the entrance.

“It’s good to see you again, Chairman.”

“You’re late. Come, sit down quickly.”

Inwardly amused by his unusually flustered manner, I took a seat.

“So, how did you know about the real-name financial system? Did Chairman Cheon tell you?”

Chairman Song fired off questions as soon as I sat down.

I shrugged nonchalantly.

“I just guessed.”

I repeated the same words I had said to Grandfather.

“Hmm~ You guessed… Are you saying that you, a mere twenty-year-old, noticed something that no one else could? The thoughts of that sly old fox of a President?”

“It was obvious if you just took a step back and thought about it.”

Chairman Song let out a laugh that seemed both dejected and incredulous.

“The smart people in our company couldn’t predict what you foresaw. Maybe they were the foolish ones, not you.”

“That’s not true, Chairman.”

“No, this time I learned from you. My useless stubbornness must have clouded my vision. Otherwise, I would have anticipated something like this…”

Chairman Song trailed off, then looked at me with sympathetic eyes.

“I heard they never found the culprit?”

“No…”

I had already asked Hyeon-seong’s father to look into that incident.

No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t understand how they both died so suddenly…

He said he would look for records, so I was planning to wait.

“Hmm… It might not be of much help since so much time has passed, but I’ll try to lend a hand too.”

“Thank you.”

Sensing the lingering resentment in his words, I simply nodded without refusing.

Chairman Song gave me a faint smile.

“You can go now. Come see me every week from next week. I find our conversations entertaining.”

“Yes, I’ll visit if I don’t have any special appointments. I have my own schedule too.”

“What?”

Chairman Song looked at me with a momentarily bewildered expression before bursting into hearty laughter.

“Hahaha! That’s right! That’s how it should be. You shouldn’t just say ‘yes’ when I tell you to come and go as I please. The more I see you, the more I like you.”

I responded with a smile.

“Still, I feel quite lonely. If you don’t have anything special going on, visit me often and keep me company, alright? There’s no one who speaks their mind in front of me like you do, not even my children or grandchildren.”

“Yes, I’ll try to visit as often as I can.”

As I stepped outside, a familiar face was waiting in front of the study.

It was Song Hyeon-su, Chairman Song’s grrandson.

“Oh, hyung.”

“Are you done talking? Do you have time to chat with me too?”

I nodded.

“Yes, but I can’t stay long. I have an appointment.”

“It won’t take long. Let’s go to my room.”

Song Hyeon-su’s room was in the ssame location as my room in Grandfather’s house, which made me smile a bit.

“Make yourself comfortable.”

As soon as I sat down, Song Hyeon-su started speaking inn a casual tone.

“What do you talk about with Grandfather?”

“Um… Just this and that? I think your grandfather is making time for me because my grandfather asked him to.”

“Hahaha, do you really think our grandfather would let someone into his study just because someone else asked? He’s not that kind of person.”

A subtle gaze was fixed on my face.

I maintained a calm expression.

“We don’t talk about anything special. Just old stories, things that happened with my grandfather, stuff like that?”

“Hmm… Is that so?”

“Oh! He did mention you. He said we should become close.”

“What? Hahaha.”

Song Hyeon-su, the third-generatiion chairman of Daehyeon who would gather the tattered and obsolete companies under the Daehyeon name.

The scale in my heart was tipping back and forth.

Should I support him or not?

I was weighing which option would be more beneficial to me.